Resolution: Meghna Lokabhirama Nandini Raju and Varun Shivakumar, LW | Descendants Jazz Theatre, and Maddy Westhead

Resolution 2027

1: Two classical Indian dancers performing on a dark stage, wearing vibrant yellow, green and gold costumes with traditional jewellery and makeup, striking expressive poses with their arms and hands raised. 2: Two people dancing together in a warmly lit vintage-style room, smiling and raising their arms. They wear retro-inspired clothing, including flat caps and patterned trousers, with a large black-and-white photograph on the wall behind them. 3: Two dancers peer at each other, one is lying over the top of a table and the other is lying underneath on the floor looking up and holding onto the edge of the table. There is a sense of curiosity and playfulness, with an undertone of tension or power between them.

About Resolution: Meghna Lokabhirama Nandini Raju and Varun Shivakumar, LW | Descendants Jazz Theatre, and Maddy Westhead

Kēl by Meghna Lokabhirama Nandini Raju and Varun Shivakumar

In Tamil, Kēḷ (கேள்) means "listen." In Hindi, khel (खेल), said almost the same way, means "play." This bharathanatyam piece holds both ideas together.

Music usually arrives from outside a dancer. Here, two dancers ask what music the body can make itself. You will watch and hear them fill the space with footsteps, breath and voice, building layers of rhythm while they move and play with sound.

Part dance, part concert, the work invites you to listen closely and play along in your imagination. No previous knowledge of dance or music is needed to enjoy this piece.

Meghna Lokabhirama Nandini Raju and Varun Shivakumar

Meghna LN Raju is a London-based bharatanatyam artist and Kalakshetra alumna with an MA from the University of Madras. She has performed across the UK and India and trains under K. P. Rakesh. Her theatre training informs her interest in Vaachika Abhinaya, exploring the expressive possibilities of voice in performance.

Varun Shivakumar is a UK-based bharatanatyam artist mentored by Shijith Nambiar and Parvathy Menon. His performances include the Music Academy Madras, Kalakshetra Foundation and London’s The Place. His practice encompasses collaborations with flamenco, while training in Carnatic music and Navarasa Sadhana informs his exploration of rhythm, expression and classical storytelling.

Cast and Creatives

Concept, Choreography, Performance: Meghna Lokabhirama Nandini Raju and Varun Shivakumar

The Rhythm Home by LW | Descendants Jazz Theatre

What if the movement in your feet wasn’t entirely your own?

Presented by LW | Descendants Jazz Theatre, The Rhythm Home maps out the rich history of jazz dance. Writer and choreographer Lana Williams joins forces with artistic director Renako McDonald for this compelling narrative dance theatre.

The story unfolds against a thrilling soundtrack of percussion, groove and swing. Sweeping from modern London to the roaring 1930s New York, before diving deep into the 1600s African roots of the genre. Fusing Lindy Hop, hip hop, and contemporary dance, a dynamic ensemble proves we are all connected by a single, infinite beat.

About LW | Descendants Jazz Theatre

Lana Williams is a prominent UK choreographer and jazz historian specialising in jazz fusions. Her extensive choreography/assistant credits span television and film, including BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing, Netflix's Bridgerton, Doctor Who, Rivals and Edinburgh Fringe.

Award-winning choreographer and dancer Renako McDonald brings a wealth of high-profile global expertise, with a performance portfolio including the Wicked movie, Cirque du Soleil, and Marvel Studios.

Together as the creative forces behind LW | Descendants Jazz Theatre, they seamlessly blend historical roots, physical storytelling, and contemporary grooves into compelling narrative dance theatre.

Pass the Salt by Maddy Westhead

A table for two, a table for who?

Snippets of relationships and encounters spill out in a playfully surreal exploration of the interpersonal. A room where something’s not quite right, a dynamic that’s a little bit off.

Pass the Salt explores themes of connection, memory, and identity, anchored around a table. The work investigates how movement and design can work together to engage and provoke audiences, transforming the stage and drawing viewers into a bizarre, camp and tender world that feels both bewilderingly new and strangely familiar.

About Maddy Westhead

Maddy Westhead is a queer movement artist based in London, raised in Cornwall, with a BA from London Contemporary Dance School. With an interest in making work that feels both surrealist and radically human, they aim to reflect on their relationship to the world and people around them. Often using improvisation and discussion, combined with a co-created movement language, they work alongside collaborators to collage fragments of scenes, dance material, and set design elements, into a complete work. This tends not to adhere to a particular aesthetic, but instead responds to a fluctuating amalgamation of interests, collaborators and contexts.

Cast and Creatives

Choreographer: Maddy Westhead

Design:Isobel Jones

Dancers: Caitlin Paramor, Mahala Tucker